


Flash Fanfiction - Episode 14 - Burning Blue

by Mindmarvel



Series: Flash Fanfic Introducing Mind Marvel [14]
Category: The Flash - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-27 09:32:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13878090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mindmarvel/pseuds/Mindmarvel
Summary: Barry and his team have to deal with the case of a drug made from a blue flame, that is connected with Eddie Thawne's past. Meanwhile, Eddie is beginning to grow suspicious of the scarlet speedster and will do anything to take him down and receive the credit. Barry also declares his feelings for Iris...





	1. Chapter 1

"So, Astrid has gone home for the day, but the rest of us have to work…" Cisco said, as he entered the office to find Caitlin deep in thought.  
"Well, she did say that everyone else could go home… you included." Caitlin argued, in her 'I have other things on my mind, so don't annoy me today, Cisco' tone.  
"And leave you alone with your thoughts? With no one to pester you… yeah, like that will ever happen!" Cisco argued.  
"I'm sorry, Cisco! But I really just need to work…"

"Yeah, because you are going through a crisis… and I don't get why, but when you girls have things going on… you always devote your time to your work… Women! I bet if Barry was here he would back me up…"  
"Cisco!" Caitlin snapped, "Just leave me alone!"

"Okay… I'm sorry… Don't have to go all Frosty on me… I'll be over here if you need me…" Cisco apologized, as he went to his table and began tinkering on his new project; the Flash's new suit, very loudly. He was purposely trying to get Caitlin's attention.  
"Ok! Fine! Cisco! I'll tell you what's on my mind!" Caitlin snapped.

"That's all I ask!" he replied playfully, running back to his friend, waiting for her to spill the beans, he sat down on the chair and gave her his undivided attention.  
"So, I am married to Ronnie… but Frost isn't married to Ronnie, but in a way she is, because we share the same body… But if that means that she is married to Ronnie too… Does that mean that I am cheating on my husband with this Amunet? Ergh! None of this makes any sense!" Caitlin was rambling.

Cisco pulled a face, he found the situation funny and confusing at the same time, but now was not the time for jokes. His friend clearly needed him.  
"I need to ask," he began, "So you're not aware, or in control, at all… when Frost has taken over? Or when she and Amunet are together?"  
"No, I had no idea at all… until Ronnie told me, that is." Caitlin replied.  
"Then, I don't think it would be classed as cheating… technically… But then… is it like when you have been drinking too much and you don't remember anything the next morning and…"

"Cisco?" Caitlin snapped, "that's not helping… when Frost is in control, I have no say in anything… Most of the time I have no recollection whatsoever… unless, she lets me see what's going on… but she hasn't this time…"  
"That's probably a good thing. I mean… because you love Ronnie… cheating on him would be the last thing you would ever want to do."  
"Exactly… so it's not classed as cheating?" Caitlin said, happy with this answer.

"Yeah… I don't think it is, I mean you didn't exactly have a say in any of it… it's the whole Dr Jekyll and…" Caitlin hugged Cisco, happy that he had answered her question, but she still felt a little weirded out by the whole thing. She knew that Ronnie was still very uncomfortable by it all and she hoped that he would see things as they were. That Caitlin was not cheating on her husband.

"I take it Ronnie isn't taking any of this well?" Cisco asked, finally realizing what all the fuss was about.  
Caitlin let go of her friend and got back to work, "No he isn't. But I really hope he comes around. I understand his point of view… but it's all pretty hard to grasp, I guess." Caitlin replied, she still had her doubts, but for now this answer would be good enough to settle her thoughts.

Cisco walked over to his computer desk and switched on his computer. Fortunately, Caitlin had already cleaned out the bin that Astrid had been sick into, but Cisco's keyboard was still out of place.  
He moved it back into place and saw his friend's bracelet still sitting on the desk. He picked it up ready to move it to her own, and once again he received a vision, this one was different to the one from before.

Barry was crippled to the ground, there was a man standing over him. This man had ice breath and breathed on Barry, freezing his legs in place.  
Cisco and Astrid had been working against Barry and were standing behind the being with the icy breath. Both of them had been eager to end Barry's life. But as the man with the ice breath went to take the kill, Astrid had run in front. Cisco watched as she defended Barry, sacrificing her own life for their friend. The man killed her with a red laser beam that came from his eyes. A red laser beam?

Cisco dropped Astrid's bracelet to the ground and the vision was gone. "Cisco, are you ok?" Caitlin asked him.  
He didn't know how to explain the vision, so he kept it to himself. "Yeah, Caitlin. I'm fine. I promise. I just didn't realize that she left her bracelet here. And I dropped it, that's all."  
Caitlin raised her eyebrows in disbelief, but then got back to what she was doing.

Cisco was mortified that there was such a being out there that could shoot laser beams out of his eyes, and had ice breath. This kind of person could destroy Barry in an instant. They couldn't have been a mere meta-human… They would have to be some sort of God.  
But these visions that Cisco kept having as of late had never happened before, well not to his recollection… Were they going to happen? And did such a super meta-human such as this man even exist? Cisco knew what he needed to do. He sat at his computer and began typing.

Barry sat at his desk at CCPD and threw his stress ball up in the air, caught it again, and then repeated, while swinging backwards on his chair. Eddie walked into his office unannounced, making Barry drop the ball and almost fall backwards to the floor.  
"You shouldn't swing on your chair, Barry." Eddie said.  
"Yeah, I'll remember that for next time… what's up?"

Eddie sat down on the chair opposite Barry and leant towards him. "I need you to be absolutely honest with me. I have been digging around to try and explain what happened last night for my report in regards to Caitlin... Somethings just don't add up!"  
Barry was puzzled as to what Eddie was referring to. "What's going on?"  
"Last night you knocked me out of the way before I could have been killed… but then that guy Firestorm stepped in and I was taken to safety by the Flash…" Eddie explained.  
"Well STAR Labs does have associations with the Flash and Firestorm…" Barry explained.

"What do you mean? I mean, I knew about STAR Labs and Firestorm… but the Flash?" Eddie asked, as Barry realized that he had tripped up on his own words. It was only in the alternate reality that Cisco made STAR Labs association with the scarlet speedster public.  
"I mean that Firestorm must have called him. We know that Firestorm is connected to STAR Labs through DR Stein… but the Flash is a friend of his." Barry improvised.

Suddenly, Joe entered the room "You guys, we have a case, they think that something must have happened to Firestorm, like he has gone evil or something... Singh wants to see all of us in fifteen minutes downtown. Barry, you can come with us so you're not late… again."  
As Barry and Joe left the office, Eddie froze for a moment, reflecting on the conversation that he had just had with Barry. Eddie knew a lie when he heard one. Barry had lied about the Flash. But the question was, why?


	2. Chapter 2

"… It has been reported that Mercury Labs scientists have been given special permission to venture inside the Smallville quarantine zone to determine the cause of the smog that took over the entire town almost seven months ago…" The news report sounded out through STAR Labs at roughly lunchtime that day.

"Sometimes I wish that we never cut ties with Luthor Corp. That would be an amazing task to get behind." Caitlin sighed, as she focused on her work.  
"Weren't you angry that we were working with them in the first place… I mean… You were insistent that it was a big mistake from the beginning." Cisco replied as he stared at his computer screen.

"Well, I was right… though I suppose that one good thing came out of it… I got my Ronnie back…I also made a friend over there, Pamela Isley, she is an Ecologist and a wildlife biologist… and she would probably get into trouble if they knew, but she has been emailing me in relation to the smog." Caitlin explained.

Cisco raised his eyebrows, this was news to his ears. This was big news. This Pamela Isley could get herself into some serious trouble if the military knew about this.  
"She believes that it was man-made, maybe some sort of terrorist attack… But it was lined with chemicals from the meteor shower and causes excessive growth in vulnerable cells." Caitlin explained.

"Are we talking about meta-human abilities or something else?" Cisco asked her.  
"No… Apparently some people are growing older much more rapidly than others. Their lifelines are quickening. Though once again, thanks to biology, not everybody has been affected. Some people have proven immune to the smog's effects."

"Wow…" Cisco added, "Have you told our boss about this?"  
"I sure have. She was there when I got the email."  
"How the hell was I the last to hear about this? This news is… Wow…"  
"It's also very confidential, Cisco… To not be repeated again… That's why you haven't known until now."

"Gee… I feel the trust…"  
Barry, Joe and Eddie arrived at the crime scene downtown and Barry immediately got to work.  
"Barry… I certainly approve of you arriving on time… I hope this will be a first of many." Singh commented.  
"We can certainly hope so, Captain Singh." Barry said with a smug smile as he poked his gloved finger into a pile of blue colored dust. Without anyone noticing, he used his speed to bag up one sample and placed it in his pocket, and then bagged up another sample at regular speed to show to the captain.  
"What do you have there, Allen?" Singh asked him.

"It's some sort of blue colored dust, Captain." Barry explained, holding up the bag.  
"Blue dust?" Eddie asked, startled. "Let me see." He took the bag from Barry and examined it in his hands. There was only a small amount, though it certainly could not be mistaken for anything else.

Captain Singh stared at Eddie, "It seems your past is haunting you, Thawne… I hope that you, more than anyone can get to the bottom of this one." He said.  
"I will certainly try." Eddie said adamantly.  
Joe and Barry exchanged glances, what were Eddie and Captain Singh talking about? They knew that they would need a full explanation from Eddie immediately. They were both determined to get one.

They finished at the crime scene and ventured back to CCPD, following Eddie to his office all prepared to interrogate the man if necessary.  
"Eddie… what did Captain Singh mean by your past? What does all of that have to do with the blue dust?" Barry asked him.  
"I was wondering how long it would take for this interrogation." Eddie said flatly.

"Eddie, Barry told you everything you ever wanted to know about your parents, but you haven't exactly opened up to him. What is haunting you, son?" Joe asked, trying to adopt a fatherly approach to build a rapport.

"Joe! What do you think you're doing? Just because you're my twin brother's adopted father, doesn't mean that I owe you a thing. But for the sake of this case… I'll tell you both everything." Eddie sat down and took a sip of his water, that sat on the desk. It was clear that he was thinking back to his traumatic past.  
"I told the both of you that my adopted parents were in jail, and then I bumped around from foster home to foster home. Eventually I ended up in Gotham City. The adopted son of a retired cop. Though he passed away.

But I never told you everything. My parents… my whole family in fact, they were invested into some blue flame. This blue flame had powers, it could heal people. But it could also create objects out of midair. It could also cause a man to burst into a blue flame and not hurt him in the slightest. Just like Firestorm. My parents were con artists. They would make money claiming to cure illnesses, they would make the money and then give their victims a fake alternative. They always made me feel bad that I didn't have this same power… until one day they told me that I wasn't even their own son… so I left and they never came looking for me. So then I bounced around in the system for a little while. My foster father in Gotham city… before he retired, they were his last case. He worked with some young intern named Carrie Cutter, but then something went horribly wrong. But, at least, the Thawnes were arrested… and my foster father retired early to spend his final year with me. Not long after, he passed away and I never knew why, because the whole case was kept confidential."

Barry, who was now seated across from Eddie felt a pang of sympathy towards his brother. "Man, I'm sorry. I didn't know." He said.  
"That's the reason that I didn't want to tell you. I don't need your sympathy." Eddie changed his tone, as he stood up.  
Joe placed his hand on Barry's shoulder, "Look Eddie, we really shouldn't have pried." He said.

"It's probably a good thing that you did. Because the fact that the blue dust has been found, means that it is back on the street. So we need to get it the hell out of here!"  
Joe and Barry agreed with Eddie, he was right. They needed to get to the bottom of the case as soon as possible.


	3. Chapter 3

Astrid walked into Jitters. She was supposed to be at home resting off her hangover, but she couldn't sleep. Nor could she be bothered watching the mindless dribble on television.  
She saw Iris at the counter, who still seemed a little shaken over last night's effects. The minute Iris saw her, she began making Astrid's usual double shot latte.  
"Your usual," Iris said with a smile, handing it to her.

Astrid paid for it and commented on how quiet Jitters was at that time of day.  
"Very quiet. Between you and me, it's the best time of day to come." Iris replied. But there was something on Iris's mind and Astrid couldn't help but over hear it through her thoughts.

"Astrid… does Barry have feelings for me?" she asked her.  
"Uh uh! I'm not touching that one." Astrid said, as she paid for her coffee and went to leave.  
"Does that mean yes?" Iris asked her.

"Please, Iris. I'm a little hungover right now and I'm seriously trying to piece together all the events from last night. I really don't think that I am the right person to ask."  
"No, but you are. I mean, Barry and I have always been close, but lately he's been very… distant… you were his psychologist and his friend. I'm sure he's told you things…"  
"Actually, I was a criminal psychologist, not exactly Barry's appointed psychologist... and I gave that up a while back. But yeah Barry and I are friends, but I'm not one for breaching confidentiality. Why is this so important to you, anyway?"

"I don't know. Ever since you said what you said last night, it's just had me thinking about everything. Plus, this could change things between Barry and I…"  
"What do you mean change things?" Astrid asked, as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Well, if he does… I mean, he, my dad and I all live under the one roof and I guess it will make things a little…" Iris was interrupted by a man dressed in ragged clothes, scaring the rest of the patrons, as he burst into blue flames. "Is that Firestorm?" One man asked.

The blue burning man shot a blue projectile ball of flame at the man who had spoken, and screams broke out. Astrid darted behind the counter with Iris as she sent an SOS message to STAR Labs.

"Oh my god. That's Firestorm. But what happened to him?" Iris asked Astrid in a whisper.  
"No, that's not Firestorm. Its someone else." Astrid said, quietly.  
She scanned the thoughts of the blue man. "He's a junkie. I don't even think he is a meta-human."  
"A meta-what?" Iris asked. Astrid shook her head, "He's coming this way." She whispered.

"The Sutherland heiress… I thought I saw you come in here…" the burning man's voice called out and the girls knew that they had been caught hiding behind the counter.  
"Stay down!" Astrid whispered to Iris, as she got to her feet and looked at the blue burning man.  
"What do you want with me? Just leave these people alone!"

"So, I got this cool drug from a friend of mine on the street… and he said that he was fresh out… you're going to make me some more."  
"I'm sorry, what?" Astrid asked. "I have no clue what it is or…"

"No… but you can study it… your scientists… I need more… and you're going to make it for me." He said.  
At this point, Iris had run from behind the counter and had started getting people out to safety. Someone dragged a chair across the floor, making the blue burning man turn around to see what the distraction was. He shot a blue flame ball in the direction of the door, just in time for the Flash to run through the door and get hit.  
"Well, if it isn't… The Flash…" the man said, a menacing smile spread across his face.

Astrid wasn't sure as to what damage the blue blast could do to Barry. She had seen him struck multiple times by projectiles made of ice and it had always affected his speed ability. She needed to get the attention from her friend.  
"Hey… you came here for me!" Astrid shouted. "We'll make it for you… We'll do it!" she bluffed.

The Flash was thrown off guard, but only for a moment. He got to his feet and tackled the man to the floor. As he did so, he felt his speed begin to drain. He wasn't sure what was going on.

Astrid pulled a set of power-dampening handcuffs from her purse and threw them to the Flash. He caught them and attempted to restrain the man. But the man seemed to dodge his attempt, faster than the Flash could go. Noticing this, Astrid yelled out to the burning man in an attempt to distract him again.  
It worked. Barry pulled the man's arms behind him and cuffed his wrists. The cuffs didn't dampen his abilities, but they made the man feel that he had been beaten. He reduced the flame himself and knelt down on the floor, as he heard the sirens arriving on the scene.

The Flash ran as fast as he could out of Jitters, which despite being faster than the regular human speed, was still slower than he was used to.  
Eddie and Joe were the first to arrive. Many of the patrons explained that they had just been saved by the Flash, which Eddie seemed a little put out by. He was beginning to feel a little frustrated by the scarlet speedster showing up to every one of their crime scenes.

Joe spoke with Iris and Astrid to get their points of views, as he helped them tidy up some of the mess, that had been made. Eddie examined the man. He was no longer burning and he had passed out.  
"Did he say anything to you girls?" Joe asked.  
"He said that he wanted STAR Labs to make more of… whatever it was that he took." Iris said.

Astrid agreed, "I promise you, Joe. STAR Labs is not responsible for this one, whatsoever!"  
"It's ok." Eddie said as he walked over, "This will not come back on STAR Labs. You have my word on that, for what it's worth."  
Astrid gave a polite smile and looked back at Joe.  
"Is Barry with you, dad?" Iris asked as she looked around.  
"No, Iris. We left him at the station for this one. You know Barry… He'll most likely be late." Joe looked at Astrid. She read his thoughts that he wanted her to check up on his foster son.

"Joe… I need to return back to STAR labs…" Astrid explained.  
"You're free to go…" he said with a smile, glad that she had received the message.  
Astrid hurried out of the café, while Iris gave a full detailed account of what had happened to Eddie and Joe. "So, Astrid helped the Flash?" Eddie asked Iris, slightly amused by this notion. "So, she isn't just a pretty face…"

Joe raised his eyebrows at Eddie, "What are you getting at, Eddie?"  
"Just that if anyone knows the identity of our scarlet speedster… who else better to know than the rich heiress and head of STAR Labs." He looked at Iris, knowing that one of her hobbies was to write blogs to uncover the secrets of Central City's red speedster.

"Oh no… leave her out of it." Joe said, defensively. "Don't you think that if I thought that she had anything to do with that guy, that I would have told you already?" Joe lied.  
Eddie shrugged his shoulders and begun to drag the cuffed man into his car, ready to take him back to the station.


	4. Chapter 4

Astrid arrived back at STAR Labs to find Barry hooked up to monitors on Caitlin's med-bay bed, fortunately, he was conscious. "Barry, what happened back there? How did he manage to dodge your attack? you're supposed to be the fastest man alive." She said.

"Weren't you supposed to be at home dealing with a mega hangover?" Cisco questioned her.  
"I was, but I got bored… Barry… what happened?" she asked again, diverting her attention back to him.  
Barry sat forward, as Caitlin checked his bloodwork from his bedside table. "That… was the blue flame." He said.  
"I'm sorry, the blue what?" Astrid asked.

"The blue flame. It has to do with Eddie's family… adopted family I mean… Long story… but now it's on our streets and we have to eliminate it as soon as possible." Barry replied.  
"As soon as possible isn't fast enough, Barry." Caitlin said as she had just finished examining his blood. The group turned to look at her.  
"What do you mean?" Barry asked.

"That blue flame… I don't know how, but it stole some of your speed," Caitlin said.  
"That could be really bad in the wrong hands." Cisco said.

"I agree. Barry, maybe you should sit this one out… Maybe we should ask Firestorm to take on this one." Astrid said.  
Caitlin bit her lip and hesitated before she spoke. "As great as that sounds… that's a little hard right now…"  
"Why?" They all asked her in unison.

"Well… this thing with Amunet and Frost… Ronnie and I weren't really seeing eye to eye about it this morning. I didn't mention it sooner, because I didn't want everyone to worry… but Ronnie and Stein went out of town for a few days. DR Stein had to give a lecture to some university over in Gotham City so Ronnie went with him." Caitlin admitted.  
"Oh, Cait…" Astrid sympathized, as she put her arm around her friend's shoulder. "Wait… that actually happened? That wasn't some crazy dream I had where we were all standing here at seven this morning and…" Astrid's voice trailed off as she looked over at Cisco.

"So, if Firestorm isn't here… I guess we have no choice but to let Barry handle it." Cisco said, changing the subject. "But I might be able to make something up to help him… But we need to gather some sort of sample of…"

Barry cut him off, as he held the sample bag of blue dust that he had gathered earlier from the crime scene. "You're the best, Barry!" Cisco said excitedly.  
"Hey… I'm going to need a sample of that too!" Caitlin said excitedly, as the two went off to begin their tests on the blue dust.  
Astrid remained by Barry's side, "So are you sure that you can still run?" she asked him, concerned.

"Yeah… I mean, it must have only altered my speed a little bit, but… clearly not enough to cause permanent damage." He said shrugging it off. "Are you ok, you seem a little off?"  
"I'm fine!" she said, shaking her head ready to walk away.  
"Astrid… hey, no there's something wrong… You have a tell… what's up?"

"I have a tell? Haha that's funny… now who's the mind reader?" she joked. "Ok, Iris is a little on to you about the whole you having a crush on her thing… it might be my fault… and I don't know why she is so keen on getting answers… but you know that girl…"

"Yeah I do… and I'm not surprised that she is onto me… but there's something else. I can tell. What's going on?" he pestered.  
"Geez, Bar. Did you and Cisco go to the same camp about how to be annoying, when you were kids? But ok, if you must know… Whenever I see you as the Flash… I dunno… I just get reminded of a dream that I had once. I'm not sure if I ever told you this or not, I don't even think that I told Cisco… but it was one of the reasons I was a little off when he chose red as the color for your suit…"  
"Astrid, what are you getting at?" Barry questioned her sternly.

"Well, when I was little, I remember that I was in the back of my parent's car. Some truck drove through a red light… We should have been killed, all three of us but it was like some sort of miracle saved us that night. I guess I had been falling asleep in the car and my dad must have pulled me out or something… but I just remember standing on the side of the road, a little disorientated and a man… who looked a hell of a lot like you in your suit, was standing by a tree watching us. I guess I thought that that man must have saved us… But then I grew up, and realized that it was all impossible. Logic won out… and I became a psychologist… Besides, you only just got your powers when the meteor hit and unless you can time travel, I …" she was interrupted by Cisco calling for their attention.

"Hey, you guys… I think I have it! Bar… your suit is already flame proof… but if I can somehow use this dust… counteract its powers and build it into your suit… in theory… you may be able to also become Cobalt Blue flame proof…" Cisco was very excited about this idea.  
"Cobalt Blue?" Caitlin asked him.

"Well think about it, it's the opposite to regular flame… It's just a name… let it go… ok? Sheesh!"  
Barry realized that that was the end of he and Astrid's conversation… but it was also alarming. She had seen him that night, that he had saved her. But he was not going to break his promise to Dr Fate and reveal to any of them the truth about that alternate reality.

"I'm sorry… I'm still stuck back at your 'in theory'. What do you mean by that?" Astrid asked Cisco.  
"Well… it could either work or… the suit itself could dampen Barry's powers." Cisco admitted.  
"Make sure you test it out, first…" Astrid warned.  
"Ok! I'm on it!" Cisco said, "…but it might take a while."

"Ok, while you get it sorted. I'm going to head back to CCPD." Barry said, "Let me know if you guys need anything."  
"We always do," Caitlin called out, realizing that Barry had already left.


	5. Chapter 5

Eddie went over the statements that Iris and the rest of the patrons of Jitters had given. Iris had said something rather useful, that Astrid had left out of her explanation. Apparently, the Flash's speed had been altered by the Blue Flame in some way. He had appeared to move even slower than usual.  
It seemed that just as Barry had done earlier, Astrid had failed to be entirely honest about the scarlet speedster. Eddie's question once again was why?

Suddenly, Barry entered the office. "Hey, Joe said that some guy who took the blue dust held up Jitters."  
"Yeah, he did." Eddie replied, "Astrid was there, wasn't she at the bar last night? After that mess, with the Trickster?"  
"Yeah, why?" Barry replied.

"No reason… just wondering what she likes to drink." Eddie said casually.  
"I'm sorry. What?" Barry had to do a double take as to what he had just heard.  
"Don't worry about it. I was just contemplating asking her out for drinks later." Eddie replied.  
Barry burst out laughing, he couldn't help it but it was an automatic reaction.  
"What's so funny?" Eddie asked.

"Nothing…" Barry said, forcing his lips to button up as he tried to hold back more laughter.  
"Barry! What's so funny?" Eddie asked again, this time sternly. "Is there some sort of joke that I'm not in on? She's not an alien is she?"  
"No, that's not it." Barry said, still in his same humored tone.

"Then what? You two aren't seeing each other… what's the problem?"  
"Jeez… next you'll be asking me to date Iris…"  
"What do you mean?" Eddie asked.

"Never mind, forget I said anything… Just Astrid is… she's…" Barry paused for a moment, he knew that Eddie was far from being her type.  
"Astrid is what? Not into men?" Eddie persisted.  
"She's just committed to her job, that's all. I don't think getting involved with her would be the best outcome." Barry said, he felt happy with that excuse. The last thing he wanted was to tell Eddie that Astrid couldn't stand being near him. The whole egotistical male persona annoyed her to the point that she could hurl.  
"I don't know. I could probably change her mind," Eddie said as he walked to the door ready to open it.

As Eddie had his back turned, Barry sent a message to Astrid's phone, telling her of what had just happened. He put his phone away as Eddie turned back to him. "Well Barry. I have to make a few phone calls about this blue flame thing… see if I can find a few contacts back in Gotham who might be able to lend a hand."  
"Be my guest." Barry said as he left the office.

Astrid listened to Caitlin vent about how her argument went with Ronnie that morning, while her phone beeped from on the table. Cisco went and checked it. "It's a message from Barry," he said.  
"That was fast, what's he found?" she asked.

Cisco read the message and his eyes grew wide, a smile spread across his face as he showed her the screen.  
Astrid had a look of disgust on her face.  
"Eddie clearly likes you." Cisco said with a laugh.  
"No, that wouldn't be it. I'm pretty sure he's after something."  
"That's always your go-to excuse." Cisco replied.  
"Yeah and I'm normally right… look what happened with Dante." Astrid smirked, referring to Cisco's older brother.  
"Wait! Astrid dated Dante?" Caitlin chimed in.

"God no!" Astrid said in alarm. "He asked me out and then bad mouthed Cisco in the same breath."  
Cisco laughed, "she knocked him flat on his ass."  
"So what are you going to do with Eddie?" Caitlin asked.  
Astrid shrugged.

"Well you're going to have to decide quickly… he's calling now." Cisco said, as he handed her the phone.  
She took the phone and answered. "Eddie, hi. I gave you and Joe all the information, this morning. Really? Uh huh. Well…" Astrid continued, as she put Eddie's voice on to speaker so her friends could hear.

"…this is actually in regards to The Flash, miss Sutherland…" Eddie's voice said. Astrid smirked about how right she was.  
"There's not much that I can really say about him. I know just as much as everybody else does." Astrid lied. "I understand that you have me on speaker, miss Sutherland. Which is why I'm asking for you to meet me later on, when you finish work. How 'bout 8pm tonight?" Eddie asked her.

Astrid rolled her eyes, "Look fine. But no drinks. Just coffee. And I promise you that I've told you everything that I know."  
As Eddie hung up the phone, he went over a series of files all pointing to Astrid. Most of these folders all shared one very important piece of information. That Astrid always knew what to say to get her way. Some people even claimed that it was like she could read their minds.

Eddie was certain that most of the encounters that he had shared with her were the same, which is why he wanted to find things out fast.  
He took a drive, about an hour out of town, to visit an old adopted relative of his. Grandma Thawne.  
"It's been a while, boy." Mrs Thawne said, as she saw him standing on her doorstep.  
Eddie looked around. "It has been… but, you know why I'm here."

Mrs Thawne looked around to ensure that he had not been followed, and then opened the screen door to him.  
As he sat down and enjoyed some hot tea with the woman, he explained the case to her.  
"Someone has been dealing the blue flame as a drug through the town. They have mixed it in with some other serious chemicals."  
"Yes… So, I've been hearing. But there is nothing further that I can do to stop that, Eddie. Or do you go by Malcom now?"  
"You heard about that, huh?" Eddie asked her.

"You were always a remarkable boy. After you left, I was sure that they had told you the entire story. I'm just glad that you know it now."  
"You could have helped me. You could have told me. Instead, you let them ridicule me. I always wondered why I didn't hold that same gift. I tried so hard… I wanted to."  
"But now, they are still in jail… yet you finally return. Why didn't you return sooner? I had a gift for you, Eddie."

"Why would I want anything from you? After all of this? All I need from you is information."  
"You say that's all you want… You think that you are better than all of us. But I am giving you an opportunity to take everything that you ever wanted… I am giving you the chance to BE better, boy!"

She brought her hand to her neck and pulled up the blue talisman, from over her head and held it in her hands. "I'm dying, Eddie. This is the last of the blue flame that I possess. If you want to solve the crime. Or if you want to reclaim everything that you missed out on. It's yours. I have no heirs left and this item is my most valuable possession. I want you to have it."

"You're dying?" Eddie was baffled to hear this news. Mrs Thawne nodded sadly, and stretched her hand out to him. Eddie stared quietly at the talisman. This pendant held so much power. It had been the one thing keeping Mrs Thawne alive all these years. There was more power in this one talisman, than in the entire Blue flame drugs that were circling Central City's junkies.  
And now she was offering it to him. "Eddie… it's yours if you want it!"


	6. Chapter 6

"You're not going to bother changing before you go out on your date, with Eddie?" Cisco asked as he, Barry and Caitlin were gathered at Astrid's house that evening.  
She glared at Cisco, "One more joke like that and it won't end nicely for you." She threatened him. Barry couldn't help but burst out laughing.  
"Seriously, you guys. It isn't even a date." Astrid argued.

"That's not the impression he gave me," Barry chimed in. "It's just weird… the thought of you and him… he's my twin brother...fraternal twin. But brother all the same. You're like a sister to me."  
"It could be worse, Bar. It could be Iris…" Astrid said.

Barry buttoned his lip… he had already witnessed that, not that his friends had seen it, and it had been quite awkward.  
"So remind me again, why you guys are all here," Astrid said.  
"We figured, we wanted to see if he dresses up… you know in a suit and tie… and brings you flowers… as a gentleman should." Cisco said with a smirk.  
Astrid raised her eyebrows at him. "Seriously?"

"No, if you must know… We brought movies and we're ready to order a pizza, while we wait for you to arrive home… which I have bets that it won't last twenty minutes! Barry said thirty…" Cisco said truthfully.  
Astrid glanced over at Caitlin, "Why do we hang with these guys?" she asked her.  
But Caitlin kept her lips sealed. "Caitlin? Really?"  
"Ooh it was just so tempting! I couldn't refuse… I said ten minutes, I'm sorry!" Caitlin apologized.

There was a knock at the door and Astrid reached into her handbag and pulled out fifty bucks. "If I'm not back in five. Your pizza's on me!"  
"You might need to chip in a little more for Barry's sake." Cisco said with a smirk. "You know how hungry he gets…" Astrid gave them a twenty and opened the door, to see Eddie very neatly dressed in a white shirt, black pants and he was holding a single rose.  
"Cough it up, you two!" Cisco said, as he took money from both Barry and Caitlin.

Astrid rolled her eyes and left the house with Eddie, closing the door behind her.  
They arrived at Jitters, where Iris was working. She was surprised to see the two of them arrive. "Does Barry know that the two of you are…" Iris began.  
"Not on a date?" Astrid confirmed.

Iris grinned, "Ok... Right! Not on a date…"  
She took their orders and as they received them, they went to find a table.  
"So, there goes me, asking if you'd want to go on a second date." Eddie said, with a nervous laugh.

Astrid had been tempted from the moment that she had seen him, to probe his mind, but hearing him say that made her pity him a little, so she refrained from doing so.  
"I'm sorry Eddie. But I barely know you. You're Barry's brother and…"  
"…and I'm not exactly your type." Eddie finished for her, he felt a little wounded by her words, and adjusted the talisman around his neck. "Then we will keep this strictly professional," he said.

"Ok. You said that you needed to ask me some questions… I'm an open book." She replied.  
Eddie thought about the prospect of her being able to read minds. He thought back to all the incidents where people had thought that she had been able to read minds. He knew that if this was the case, that the talisman would give him this same ability. It was worth a shot!  
She put her hand around her coffee cup, to warm it up. He made it seem like an accident as he bumped her hand. Some of the coffee spilt on the table, but he had made contact with her hand all the same.

"I'm sorry! I'm so clumsy." He lied as he wiped up the coffee with the serviette, that sat on the table.  
"It's ok. It's fine!" Astrid said quickly as she took over the job of cleaning the coffee from the table and took a sip from the cup. "Just ask me your questions."  
Eddie felt a sudden rush come over him. His head became overwhelmed with voices. No not voices… they must have been thoughts!  
Thoughts from the patrons in the café, from Iris… and then he heard Astrid's thoughts. 'I wish he would hurry up. It's been fifteen minutes. Maybe, I can get back home before they start watching the Matrix.'  
"The Matrix is such a good movie." Eddie said, testing out his theory.

Astrid stared at him, "Excuse me?" she asked him, this time out loud. She shook it off, but she continued to eye him a little suspiciously. Until once again he heard her thoughts. 'That must have been a coincidence… wait I wonder if this has to do with the blue flame drug…'  
"That's what I want to know…" Eddie began, "What do you know about the blue flame?" Eddie asked her. At that moment, she knew that somehow he had taken her powers. Astrid stood up, ready to leave.

Eddie thought back to the telepathic ape that had escaped from the wildlife rescue center. He had read that it could manipulate thoughts. He figured that it was worth a shot.  
"Astrid. You will stay in your seat. You will not send for help." Eddie said sternly.  
"No, I have to go." She was starting to panic.

"Astrid. Stay in your seat and do not call for help." Eddie repeated.  
It may have been the panic that had run through her, or maybe that this man had somehow reduced her powers. But his mind control had worked. She sat down and finished her coffee.


	7. Chapter 7

Barry, Caitlin and Cisco were well into the Matrix, when Barry received a text. "Is it her?" Cisco asked a little too excitedly. "No, it's Iris. Look, you guys, I need to go." Barry said, and he left before Caitlin and Cisco could say "bye."  
Caitlin shrugged as she stared at her own phone. There was still no word from Ronnie. "This isn't like him," she told Cisco.  
"Who? Barry?" Cisco asked, as he put a fist full of popcorn into his mouth.

"No, Ronnie. He would normally call by now. Maybe something is wrong!" Caitlin rang her husband and got no answer. So she tried Martin's phone. Still no answer.  
"Relax. They're probably asleep, or in some boring lecture… Or, didn't you say that Martin was giving the lecture." Cisco suggested. "if anyone is in trouble, it has to be Astrid. It's been three hours and still no word."

"What? are you thinking that Eddie kidnapped her?" Caitlin laughed.  
But then, it was as if Caitlin's words had triggered another vision. Though in the vision, he saw Eddie as a speedster kidnapping Frost from outside Amarasia Oasis. He went silent.  
"Cisco. It was a joke!" Caitlin said lightly.

Cisco stared at Caitlin, shocked at what he had just seen.  
"Cisco… what was it? what did you see?" Caitlin asked realizing that he had just had a vision.  
Barry arrived home to find Iris sitting on the lounge, waiting for him. The minute he walked in, she stood up. She had been crying.  
"Iris, are you ok? Where's Joe?" Barry asked her.

"Dad's working. He won't be home until later. I told him that I needed to speak with you, so he gave us the house to ourselves." Iris explained.  
"Are you ok? Have you been crying?" Barry asked, walking towards her. He attempted to hold on to her hands, but she moved them away.  
He looked down at a crumpled up piece of paper, that she had thrown on to the couch. He picked it up.  
"Barry, I found that within some of my old books, do you remember it?" she asked him.

Barry unraveled the paper and read, he remembered exactly what it was, but until then he had forgotten that he had ever written it.  
It was a letter that he had written for Iris when they were in high school. He had sealed it up in an envelope and told her that she couldn't read it until she was thirty, she had written him one too.

Only, his had been a letter declaring his love and devotion for her. He had not yet read her letter as he had been willing to keep his promise.  
"Iris, you weren't supposed to read it, yet." Barry said, slowly putting the letter on the table.  
"I had to. Barry, do you still feel this way? The way you said in that letter… I asked Astrid and she wouldn't answer me, but then I found this letter on my shelf… I had to read it, Barry… Do you still feel the same way as you did then?" she pleaded for him to give her an answer.

"Iris… I…" Barry began, he thought back to the pocket dimension, where he was prepared to propose to her.  
"Barry… Are you in love with me?" she demanded an answer.  
"Yes, Iris! I love you. I have loved you with every breathe since the moment I met you and I still love you now. So yes, I do. I've wished that I could tell you a million times over, how I felt about you… but I've just been afraid."

Iris slumped back onto the couch and shook her head. "I knew it, deep down. I always knew... but I'm sorry, Barry. I just don't feel the same way. I wish I did. But I don't."  
Barry felt his heart break into a million pieces. He regretted speaking those words entirely. "Iris…" he began. But she stood up, took her jacket and purse, and ran to the door.  
"Iris, where are you going?" Barry asked her.

"We can't both live here… I'm not going to ask you to move out. But I'll be back for my things in the morning." She closed the door behind her, making Barry wish that Cisco would breech in and bring him back to the alternate reality to fight the lords of chaos, at any moment. But it never happened. He was left there, alone with his thoughts. He sat down on the couch and wiped a few tears away from his eyes, wishing he had kept his mouth shut.

The next morning, Barry arrived at STAR Labs very early, logged onto Cisco's computer and began tracking crime all over the city. Every time he found one, he would go out, apprehend the criminal and scan for another.

At 8:00 Cisco and Caitlin arrived with coffees in hands. "Hey, man… did you log into my computer?" Cisco began as he saw Barry scanning for another crime, "Nobody logs onto my computer… that stuff is private dude… it would be like…" He stopped as he saw the expression on Barry's face, through his red suit. "Hey Barry, are you ok?"  
"I don't know what you're talking about, Cisco… I'm fine!" Barry replied, as he drank one of the coffees in Cisco's hands. Fortunately, that one was for him.  
"Er, no… you can't tell me that you're not upset… I vibe things, remember?"  
"Right now I just want to go out and save the city… I'm not here to talk about personal dramas, ok?" Barry snapped.

Cisco threw his hands up in the air in defeat, and swished Barry away from his computer, "Ok then… the next crime is on…"  
"…the corner of East and Barrett! I got it…" Barry said, and he was off again.  
"Yeah… that was weird!" Cisco said to Caitlin. She agreed with him, and they turned to see Astrid in an oddly cheery mood, as she spoke on the phone. "So is that…" Caitlin mouthed to Cisco.

Astrid ended her phone call and looked at her friends who were both staring at her.  
"What?" Astrid asked them, slightly amused.  
"Do you want to take this one, Cisco?" Caitlin asked.

"…Don't mind if I do…" Cisco said, he began mimicking the tone that Robert Sutherland would use time and time again. "Where were you last night, young lady?"  
Astrid burst out laughing. "Okay, dad, mom… I'm pretty sure that I'm a grown up now and I don't need to explain myself to either one of you." She snapped.  
"Astrid, that wasn't nice." Caitlin replied. "What Cisco is getting at, is that last night… you went out with someone who you blatantly despise and while we waited at your place, up until midnight for you to return, you never showed."

Barry had joined the group and was now waiting around for the debriefing of the night before.  
"Look, you guys. There's nothing to tell. I'm sorry that you waited around all night. But everything was fine. I promise. Besides, I was with a police officer… who just happens to be Barry's brother… You see? I'm safe and sound…" She told them.

"Look, I'm going to take her on her word." Barry agreed. "But I have to get to work. I'll see you guys later."  
Astrid went into her office, leaving both Cisco and Caitlin confused about what the hell was going on with their friends. "Weird!" Cisco mouthed to Caitlin.  
"Very weird!" Caitlin agreed as the two of them set to work.


	8. Chapter 8

Barry arrived at CCPD, prepared to get to work immediately. He saw Iris from across the office, speaking with Joe, so he chose to avoid her for the moment. He detoured into Eddie's office instead.

"Barry? Is everything ok?" Eddie asked him, as he snuck in and sat down across from his brother.  
"I'm fine, Eddie." Barry said, uncomfortably.  
Eddie stared at Barry. He tried to read his mind, as he had done so with Astrid the night before. Unfortunately, it did not work this time.

"er… Eddie. How was your night with Astrid," Barry asked, as he glanced over his shoulder towards the doorway.  
"Yeah, it was good I guess… why do you ask? Did she say something?" Barry noticed that Eddie also seemed a little caught off guard. Though he thought nothing of it.  
"Not really. Just trying to make small talk." Barry answered.

Suddenly, the door opened and Joe walked in. Barry and Eddie both got to their feet immediately to greet the detective.  
"Barry, Eddie… we may have a lead on the blue flame drugs. The name Amunet came up in a line of questioning and I remembered the two of you mentioning that name the other night." Joe said.

"What are you suggesting, Joe?" Eddie asked, he knew that Amunet had dealt the blue flame drug in the past, but as far as he knew, that had stopped years ago.  
"I'm thinking that we might be able to get her to speak. We should bring her in for questioning and find out who her contacts are." Joe replied.  
Barry seemed to be deep in thought. It was clear that he had just received an idea. "Leave it to me." Joe accepted Barry's offer to help and then followed him out.

Eddie remained seated and thought back to the night before with Astrid. She had not yet given up any information in regards to the Flash, but he would not admit defeat. Even if she didn't give up that information, she could still be of use to him. Even if she was fighting him with her own telepathic abilities. He had still been able to manipulate her to not speak a word of his abilities to her friends, and to act as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

Eddie had also read in her mind, that STAR Labs computer networking system could hack into any server in the entire town. He decided that he would drop by for a visit that afternoon.

As Barry went to leave CCPD, Joe called him back to speak to him in his office. "Bar, Iris told me about what happened, last night."  
"I suppose that she also told you that she wants to move out." Barry said, sadly.  
"Yeah, she did. But how are you doing? Did you really tell her that you loved her?"  
"I did, Joe… and she told me how she felt. I guess I should have seen it coming. It just hurts…"  
"I know, son. She will come around. But I want you to use this time to think about yourself, Barry. Focus on what you want. Don't think about me, Iris, your dad or even your friends. You have spent your entire life sacrificing your own feelings for the sake of everyone else. But for once, I want you to put yourself first."

Barry stared at the floor, he knew that what Joe was saying was for his own benefit. But at the moment, it was the last thing that he needed to hear. Besides, he had work to do. "I'll think about what you said. But I need to go and speak to Caitlin. Can you cover for me?"

"Of course. Always, son." Joe replied, and within a moment, Barry had disappeared leaving nothing but a mere ruffle of papers from Joe's desk.  
"What do you mean you want me to unleash Frost?" Caitlin asked Barry, as the two of them stood in her medical bay.  
"Word has it that Amunet has some push with the blue dust drug, and I'm guessing that she might be our best asset to use at this point." Barry explained.  
"Barry. Even if I wanted to… how do we know that Frost will even cooperate with us. She fought you the other night, she even allowed for Amunet to hurt Firestorm."

"Caitlin, I'm sorry but we have no other choice. Please…" Barry pleaded.  
"Barry… Look… Fine! I guess I can't argue with you… But we are going to need to arm ourselves, because if this goes south…" Caitlin began.  
"If what goes south? Barry, shouldn't you be at work?" Eddie had arrived on the 97th floor, making them all jump.

"Eddie? How did you make it pass the security?" Caitlin asked him, she looked around to check that there was nothing that belonged to the Flash on display.  
"Astrid asked me to send him up." Cisco replied, a little frustrated. Fortunately, he had just hidden everything, in the knick of time.  
"Speaking of which…" Eddie said, as they turned to see her leave her office. Eddie kissed her on the cheek, making Barry, Cisco and Caitlin all a little uncomfortable. They thought that they noticed her too flinch, but they weren't too sure.

"Is everything ok?" She asked them, as she noticed the looks on their faces.  
"Barry and I were just leaving to…" Caitlin tried to improvise.  
"…get coffees…" Barry said quickly.  
"Yeah, and I'm going with them…" Cisco added.

"Actually, Cisco." Astrid said raising her hand, "Eddie was wondering if he could use our computers to locate Amunet. Can you please lend your expertise?"  
Barry and Caitlin had not yet explained to the group their current plan. "We need to go…" she said as they rushed off, leaving Cisco rather disappointed. "Why can't he just use the ones down at the station?" Cisco asked.  
After realizing that she would not give in, he finally gave up and showed Eddie to his computer, doing the entire search for him.

An hour later, Eddie had given him a series of coordinates and IP addresses. "There's nothing there." Cisco argued, as he ran an extensive search. "it's possible that your contact sent you fake information to lure you off track."  
"That's what I thought too." Eddie replied, he looked around the office, sure that he would find some remnant of the Flash.  
Cisco observed Eddie's peculiar behavior. He knew that the detective was not there for his computer expertise, though he was surprised that his friend had not picked up on this either.

"Did Barry say when he would be back?" Eddie asked.  
"I don't think he did. Just that he was going to get coffee." Astrid said as she walked over to them.  
She placed her hand next to Cisco's and took the mouse from him, subtly handing him a small slip of paper and an anti-telepathic communicator earpiece, while doing so. She closed the screens off and led Eddie away.

Cisco took the paper, just as she said, "Speaking of coffee… Eddie, what do you say, you and I take a break and go back down to Jitters, leaving Cisco to get back to his work."  
"Of course. What is that you do again, Cisco?" Eddie asked, hoping that he would read the man's mind and that he would give up some thought in relation to the scarlet speedster.  
"I'm a mechanical engineer…" Cisco said truthfully.

"Don't be modest." Astrid argued, "He's STAR Labs head mechanical engineer. If any of the lower floors are building something and they need a consult or anything… he sees to all of that…"

"So, that's why just the three of you all have your own private floor?" Eddie pestered.  
"Well that is a part of it." Cisco replied. "He had not read yet the note, and she knew it.

Astrid took Eddie's hands and led him to the elevator, forcing him to turn away from Cisco. "My father used to work on this floor, and in his bid to get me to work for him… he thought that putting my friends up here would entice me to take him up on his offer."

Cisco glanced at the note, he was shocked by what it had said. He immediately put in the earpiece.  
"Cisco… Eddie and I are going to go for coffee. We'll see you later." Astrid said, leading Eddie out of STAR Labs.  
Cisco sent a message to Barry's phone relaying Astrid's note. 'Eddie can read minds.'


	9. Chapter 9

"Remind me again, what I get out of this. You are asking me to betray Amunet." Frost told Barry, it was clear that she was not keen on the plan, as well as being very frustrated with Caitlin.

"Because, the police already know that she has been dealing the blue dust and if you want to ensure that she does not go to prison, we need to work together." Barry explained.  
Frost sighed, and rolled her eyes. "Fine, and I'm guessing the police have already been called for backup?"  
"They sure have. And they're not using metal bullets or normal shields either…"

"Cisco upgraded, I'm guessing… Ok then, let's get this thing over with. You might want to stay in cover. Don't get yourself caught, or you'll ruin everything." She said, as she stepped out of the darkness and into the building that contained the crime lord Amunet, herself.  
Killer Frost found Amunet giving orders to her men.

"It's about time you got here… I was just about ready to come find you again," she said as she saw Frost arrive.  
"This isn't a social visit. Word on the street is that your men are dealing some pretty heavy stuff…" Frost announced.  
"The blue dust?" Amunet asked. "It brings in good profit and it does some remarkable things…"  
"It also brings in the police suspicions…" Frost replied.

"Since when did you become the girl scout? This could be a new era for us. I'm surprised you don't agree." Amunet replied.  
"No, I don't agree. This isn't how we do things…"  
"No, this isn't how you do things… You forget just who is in charge here," Amunet said as she placed her hand on her shoulder.

Frost felt the power being drained from her within moments.  
"What are you doing? You've been taking that stuff haven't you?" she asked.  
Her question was answered by the sound of ice on metal, around them. Frost looked around to see a thick chain which had been coated in ice coming towards her.  
"What is your fascination with chains?" She shot at Amunet as she pushed the chain back with her own ice power.

"I like this new power…" Amunet said with a smile, she shot an ice projectile in her girlfriend's direction.  
Frost ducked and rolled out of the way, just in time for another bolt of ice to shoot in her direction.  
Amunet had skill over her. "Look what this drug is doing to you!" Frost yelled, over the sound of clinging metal. Metal objects from all around the room were pulled like magnets to Frost, they trapped her in one place and cocooned around her.  
Amunet shot another icy projectile blast which began to coat the metal in place. Frost was trapped.

Suddenly, The Flash appeared on to the scene. He ran at Amunet and pushed her back, an almighty push that sent her flying into a shelf from behind her. He pulled out a new prototype set of handcuffs, that Cisco had been working on earlier that day. They were designed to dampen meta-humans along with those tainted by the blue flame.  
Quickly, he fastened Amunet's wrist, in time for Joe and a team of police officers to walk in and take over with the arrest. The Flash managed to free Frost and take her to safety before the police even knew that they were there.

"I can't believe that she refused to listen to me." Frost said angrily. "Now look what happened!… if she expects me to break her out…"  
Barry noticed an icy tear that sat on her cheek, she had just been hurt by the one she loved most-dear just as he had the night before.  
"For what it's worth… thank you." Barry said, knowing that she had risked her own happiness for Barry's plan.  
"Yeah… whatever!" Frost said, and with that she left.

By nine o'clock that night, Barry found Cisco alone in STAR Labs. "I received your message. What did you mean by Eddie can read minds?" he asked.  
Cisco showed him the note. "Our girl gave me this along with one of the anti-telepathic communicators that we used with Grodd."  
Barry took the note. It was certainly Astrid's writing. "I don't understand, that just doesn't make any sense. Surely we would have seen the signs by now."  
"Barry, he manipulated her to let him up here…"

"If what you're saying is correct, then that would mean he took a sample of that blue dust… which he didn't." Barry replied. "how else could he read minds?"  
"I don't know, Barry. But don't ask me how I know… but I don't think this is the first time he has done something like this."  
"What do you mean, Cisco?" Barry asked his friend as he sat down beside him.

"Last night, I received a vision. I thought I saw Eddie kidnapping Frost, just outside of Amarasia Oasis."  
At that minute, Barry knew that the secrets that he was trying to keep hidden from his friends were indeed coming to light.


	10. Chapter 10

The next day, as Eddie sat at his desk, he went over all of his notes that he had acquired just from reading people's minds. It astounded him just how many secrets that people were hiding. Just how many crimes could be solved if he had picked up this power a long time ago.

The more time he spent with Astrid, the more that she became putty in his hands. He knew that it would only take him a little while and he would be able to use this new ability to further his career. He would be known as the best officer on the force. He would be a hero, greater than the Flash and Firestorm themselves.

But the one true case that he cared about above all was the case of the mysterious red speedster. Just who was he?  
Neither Astrid nor Cisco had given up any clues, last night as to who he was. The more he probed Astrid's mind, the more he felt a thick wall come up. Was it possible that she truly didn't know the Flash's true identity?

As Eddie took a sip of his water, Barry walked in to declare the news of Amunet's arrest.  
"Did you hear? They arrested Amunet in relation to the blue flame drug last night. They found evidence throughout her hideout and were able to arrest everyone involved."  
"I'm guessing that the Flash was there…" Eddie said as he attempted to probe Barry's mind for the answer. This time for the first time that he had tried to probe his brother's mind, he received an image.

It depicted Barry as one of the scarlet speedster's biggest fans.  
"Yeah, he was." Barry said with a dorky smile on his face.  
Eddie felt angered by this notion, even his dorky twin brother looked up to this hero in red. Eddie knew that at that point that he would take down the speedster, no matter the cost.


End file.
